The Government Accountability Office will not need to furlough its employees to manage automatic cuts under sequestration scheduled to take effect March 1, the agency’s chief says in a memo obtained by the Washington Post.
Josh Hicks writes Gene Dodaro, comptroller general, told employees in the Feb. 15 memo that cutbacks would be needed in areas such as hiring, retention programs, travel and information technology.
Dodaro told employees the fiscal cliff deal to delay the sequester reduced the size of the automatic cuts, down to a level the agency believes it can handle without having to put workers on unpaid leave, according to the Post.
When factoring in new hires, GAO estimates its workforce size will drop below 2,900 full-time employees, according to the report.
GAO is one of few agencies that believes it will not have to resort to furloughs under sequestration, Hicks writes.
The Defense Department preparing to furlough its 800,000-employee workforce, the Department of Homeland Security estimating it could furlough 24,000 workers and the Energy Department also preparing to put its workforce on unpaid leave.
